YouTube will live stream HD Olympics coverage to 64 territories in Asia, Africa

We've already heard about broadcast plans for the 2012 London Olympics in the US on NBC and UK from BBC, but what about other areas of the world? YouTube, which is partnering with NBC on streaming in the US, has also struck a deal with the International Olympic Committee to stream 2,200 hours on 10 live high definition feeds to viewers in 64 territories across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. That only extends to countries where the digital rights haven't already been snapped up, but it does mean that in many regions people will have access to a level of coverage that has never been available at all before on computers, phones and tablets. The English language commentated feeds will be available daily depending on the competition schedule, plus a 24-hour broadcast of the Olympic News Channel. YouTube has already made a name for itself as a sports broadcaster to worldwide markets with events like Indian Premier League Cricket and now with the Olympics it's taking another step forward. Check the press release after the break for the full list of countries as well as a video peek behind the scenes of producing such a large event.

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IOC to live stream London 2012 in 64 territories on its YouTube channel

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it will live stream the London 2012 Olympic Games in 64 territories on the IOC's channel on YouTube http://youtube.com/olympic.

During the Olympics Games (27 July to 12 August), sports fans in these 64 territories across Asia and Africa will be able to enjoy live coverage of the events as well as highlight clips on this digital platform - free-of-charge. Viewers from these territories will be able to watch the streams on the IOC's YouTube channel, accessible online or on Internet-enabled devices like smart/mobile phones and other YouTube-enabled devices.

The live-streaming on the IOC's YouTube channel will provide exclusive digital access to the London 2012 Olympic Games in territories where digital broadcast rights have not already been acquired by the IOC's broadcast partners:

The IOC's live streaming on its YouTube channel will consist of 11 different simultaneous high-definition broadcasts, all with English language commentary. There will be 10 live feeds from London 2012, running 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (London time) (on some days, these will start earlier or finish later based on the competition schedule), plus a 24-hour broadcast of the Olympic News Channel, which includes summaries of the latest results, general reports on different events, and interviews with athletes.

Fans will also be able to catch up on highlights and full events - all organised by the day, medal event or the sport. The IOC channel will also continue to feature historic content from past Olympic Games. In total, the IOC's YouTube channel will offer over 2,200 hours hours of sporting event coverage from London 2012, including all the medals finals.

Timo Lumme, Managing Director, IOC Television and Marketing, said: "We are delighted to be able to offer live online coverage of London 2012 to sports fans free of charge across these 64 markets. We first provided clips on our channel on YouTube during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games across the region, and since then have continued to provide footage of past Olympic Games across the world on our YouTube channel. Now we will also be able to offer live coverage during London 2012, complementing the excellent coverage provided by our broadcast partners across the world across all media platforms."

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